Ophthalmic dispensing is more than just a degree to me. Being the person in my community people feel comfortable coming to when they have concerns about their eyes is what motivates me to continue pursuing becoming an Optician. You are immediately the first stop on the list of places people gather information about anything on the eyes. I am passionate about my degree because eyes for me are an integral part of life. I could not imagine life without sight. The goal is to have no one experience that reality if I can help. Being true to myself, I want to educate the African American community about the importance of eye care and checking their health. The eyes are windows into the health of the overall body. I could only imagine how many lives I could serve if only they walked in to fill out their glasses prescription. African American community is prone to numerous eye diseases that could potentially be detrimental to their overall health and quality of life such as glaucoma. I want to be the person to bridge the gap between knowledge and health. My goal is to eventually open an optical store in partnership with an optometrist to offer a place to receive everything eye care under one roof. By combining the two, I hope to become the neighborhood optical store known for caring about its patients' well-being. I would love the opportunity to impact someone how my professor has done for me. Not only do I want to open my practice, but I want to mentor future leaders of opticians. Once I’ve become the best optician I can be. I desire to be the person I needed in school. To provide opportunities where students can learn from me in the field to acquire the knowledge and confidence they need to excel in school. This scholarship would be a tremendous step in helping me achieve my goals in so many ways. By receiving this grant, I would have one less obstacle to worry about. I would use this towards my certifications and preparation for optometry school. Winning this scholarship would be a dream come true. I have worked hard to get to where I am and will continue to work hard to be an advocate for eye care health in the African American Community. This degree is merely the beginning of my road to becoming an Optometrist. That is where I truly can do the work that needs to be done and finally walk in my purpose.